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to overdress

to overdress

1 3.9
To wear more clothes than needed so you become too warm
  • verb
  • /ˌoʊvərˈdrɛs/
translation icon : vestir en exceso
  • I began to spout off about how people overdress their kids, and then realized that I'm no one to judge.

Examples

  • As usual, Jilly's casual scruffiness made Heather feel overdressed, for all that she was only wearing cotton pants and a blouse, nothing fancy.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • "Not too cold for you?" she said without turning around. "I always overdress for the damp or cooler weather."

    Fiction book (2002)
  • Earl Kenai, overdressed for the weather in gloves, mukluks, and a full-length sealskin coat, stands (CONTINUED).

    Fiction book (1993)
  • I always overdress in formal settings, wearing a suit even when jeans would be fine.

  • During winter hikes, it's common to overdress and then feel too warm.

  • She tends to overdress her babies, putting them in too many layers for mild weather.

Synonyms

to overclothe
vsto overdress
8.8

To put on too many or too warm clothes

means putting on more clothes oneself, especially causing excess warmth

Antonyms

To wear clothes that are not warm enough for the weather

How Warm

to overdress
1 3.9
to dress
1.0

Surface Forms

overdress infinitive
overdressed past participle
overdressing present participle
overdresses third person singular

Morphology

overdress = dress (transparent) = over + dress

The meaning follows directly from the productive prefix 'over-' meaning 'excessively' combined with the verb 'dress'.

Etymology

Overdress combines over- ('too much'), like in overeat, with dress ('clothes'). So, to overdress is to put on 'too many' clothes and often become too warm.